peterjcb

Does anyone know how the door locks on a 944S are supposed to work?
I can ONLY lock my doors from the outside with a key.

If I'm inside the car, I can't push the door buttons down to lock them and if the passenger door was locked outside with a key, I can't open it up from the inside with the button. I have to go outside and unlock it with a key.

dme

Do you get any response from the inside button? Do you hear anything? When you say you can't push them down, is the door shut? Do they go down and then back up or do they not go down at all? When you lock from the outside, do you just need to turn the key a little bit or do you have to turn all the way (more effort/manually lock) to lock the door.
There are lots of variables in these locking mechanisms. I spent a week working on mine and wrote a thread about it a couple months ago.

peterjcb

When I'm in the car and I want to push the button down to lock it, I can't...yes the door is shut.

The only way either of my doors will lock is with the key from the outside.

Porsche-O-Phile

I think that might be the way it is supposed to work - there's a blurb in the manual for my early car (I'll try and find / post the exerpt) that the ONLY way I'm supposed to be able to lock the driver's side door is the way you describe to prevent you from locking the keys in there, but I KNOW you can do it from experience!

Maybe this is deliberate on your model, even though it doesn't seem to apply to mine.

Lonely Raven

On my car, I have one door (drivers) that will not allow me to push the
plunger down to lock the door, I have to use the key on the outside.

On the passenger side I can use it normally.

I'm not sure what the issue is, or if maybe one of the locks has been
changed. I just assumed the drivers door was out of whack and I would fix it if and
when I ever needed to get into the doors for anything.

Can anyone else clarify this issue?

Techno Duck

Raven, can you lock the drivers door with the door closed? Like Porsche-O-Phile said, the door will not lock if the drivers door is open. Only the passenger side can be locked when the door is open.

944REDCAB

If memory serves me correctly, on my old 924 in order to lock the doors from the inside you had to pull on the inside door release. While sitting inside the car if you pull the latch half way as it is just about to open the door - push down on the lock 'pole'

StupEd05

That is the exact same as my 83 944. Not sure if it makes any diff. with the door open or closed.

83na944

Not sure about the 87S, but I can't imagine why they would change it on later cars.

Anway, You should be able to lock or unlock either door when they're closed. Otherwise there would be no purpose in having the button, and this is a safety issue. And you should be able to lock the passenger door with inside button with the door open, but maybe this was changed.

You just can't use the button to lock the driver's door with it open. As Porshe-O-Phile said, its to keep you from locking the keys in the car. Of course, you can manage to lock the keys in the car if you try hard enough.

Peterjcb, it sounds like something is broken. Have you noticed if the button goes down when you lock the door from the outside?

gleamingred944

On my '86 944na, I can push either door's locking button down from the inside. However, once I do that I can't open either door from the inside without pulling the button up. My 'central lock' switch works, to put both buttons down or up as I wish, but when I lock the drivers door from outside it doesn't lock the passenger door as it does with many 944s.

There are a lot of variations with our locks - too many for me!

Matt Marks

My 87S requires locking the driver's door with the key. Passenger door can be locked either with the key or pushing the button down.

944_S_TYPE

I have a similar problem with my "S"
Drivers door- Can only be locked with a key.
Passenger door- Inside slider works, But key will not unlock form outside. does not turn.

CHICKENHAWK

944_S_TYPE: The problem you have with your pass side lock I had with my driver's side lock. I pulled my door panel off and disassembled my door lock to find that the lock cylinder, tumbler and springs were all gummed up. I soaked everything in solvent and then shot it all with Tri-flow. Reassembled everything and now it works smokkth as silk

nineeagles

I don't have my manual in front of me but the manual does explain that the drivers door can only be locked with the key...."this is to prevent accidently locking the keys in the car"....on my old 924 if you pushed the lock **** down while squeezing the outside door handle it would lock but this may not be normal........

peterjcb

OK, the manual says:

1. The passenger door can be locked without a key by first depressing the locking **** and then closing the door....mine must be broken because it's not working .

2. The driver's door can only be locked from the outside with the key.
( If that's the case, I wonder why they bother to put a button on the inside..)

3. To lock, unlock and open doors from the inside:

Lock or unlock door by depressing or raising the locking ****....mine's not working.


I guess that it's time to pull the door panels and check the linkages.